Prime News Ghana

France must withdraw its forces from the Sahel or Ivory Coast like attacks continue - Al Qaeda

Date: 16 March 2016

By vanguardngr.com

President Alassane Ouattara & men

In the wake of violent attacks at a beach resort in Ivory Coast which claimed 18 lives including three Ivorian Special Forces personnel and three of the attackers, Al Qaeda’s North African branch has claimed responsibility citing France’s attacks against Islamist militants in the Sahel region as motivation.

A statement by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb posted on the group’s social media accounts, called on France to withdraw its forces from the region.

The statement further called on all countries involved in the French invasion of Mali to withdraw. France launched Operation Serval to oust militants from northern Mali and replaced it in 2014 with Operation Barkhane which targets militants across the Sahel region.